The present invention relates to a conveyor system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a conveyor system for use in accepting one or more product streams and formatting the product to match the format required at the input of a packaging machine.
Conveyor systems are used for a wide range of purposes. One such purpose is the formatting of one or more streams of product so that, for example, the product spacing corresponds to the spacing needed for a subsequent operation. Such conveyor systems are used, for example, to convert one or two output streams of stacked or shingled meat from a slicing machine into the format required by a packaging machine. Depending on the required format, the conveyor must combine two or more separate streams into a single output stream or multiply the streams into a larger number of output streams. Additionally, the conveyor must properly space the product along both the length and the width of the conveyor to ensure compatibility with the packaging machine.
Conventional conveyor systems for changing the number of streams of product usually include a simple flat belt conveyor and a series of fixed kerbs or built conveyors which guide the products in the lateral direction of the belt conveyor to merge two streams into one or to multiply the number of streams. Examples of these conventional conveying systems are described in FR-A-2587007 and FR-A-2168967.
Conventional systems that have been provided specifically for handling meat products include U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,104 in which three successive products from a stream coming from one direction are fed to a turning table on which the direction of conveyance of the products is turned through 90 degrees, so that, at the output of the turning table, the three successive products form three separate streams of product on an output conveyor. Another conveyor system specifically intended to handle slices of meat product is shown in GB-A-1546126 in which a single stream of product is fed via an overhead conveyor and placed on top of pieces of card fed along a second conveyor underneath the overhead conveyor with means being provided to synchronize the travel of the product and the card so that the product is deposited on the card.
Another conveyor system specifically adapted for formatting meat products is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,336. The '336 patent is purportedly directed to a conveyor system for positioning slices of meat by converting M input streams of product into N output streams of products where M is an integer greater than one and N is an integer not equal to M. The system includes an input conveyor for conveying M input streams and an output conveyor for conveying N output streams. It also includes a multi-element strip conveyor having its upstream input end arranged to receive products from an input stream and having its downstream end arranged to continuously move laterally throughout the formatting process to deposit products from the input stream to form an output stream shifted laterally with respect to the input stream.
The present inventors have recognized that the foregoing conveyor system may experience significant limitations in high-speed operation. Such high-speed operation is becoming increasingly necessary in view of the high-speed meat slicing and packaging systems that are available.